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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


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THE  CARNEGIE  FOUNDATION 
THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  TEACHING 


A  PL  AX   FOR  AX   KXO 


PKl 


1908 


THE  CARNEGIE  FOUNDATION 
FOR  THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  TEACHING 


A  PLAN  EOR  AN  EXCHANGE  OE  TEACHERS 

BETWEEN 

PRUSSIA  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES 


PKEFACE 

THE  following  pages  give  in  detail  a  plan  for  an  exchange  of  teachers  be- 
tween Prussia  and  the  United  States,  proposed  by  the  Ministry  of  Instruction 
of  that  country  and  modeled  after  the  system  of  exchanges  now  in  opera- 
tion between  Prussia  on  the  one  hand  and  France  and  England  on  the  other. 
The  attention  of  American  teachers  and  of  presidents  of  colleges,  universities, 
normal  schools,  superintendents  of  schools,  and  the  heads  of  high  schools  is 
invited  to  the  plan  here  presented  for  gaining  an  exchange  of  educational  ideas 
in  a  most  effective  way. 

The  following  American  scholars  have  kindly  consented  to  act  with  the 
president  of  the  Foundation  as  a  committee  to  consider  the  applications  of 
such  teachers  or  the  recommendations  of  such  heads  of  institutions  as  wish  to 
take  part  in  this  exchange: 

Professor  Julius  Sachs,  Professor  of  Secondary  Education,  Teachers  Col- 
lege, Columbia  University; 

Professor  Calvin  Thomas,  Professor  of  the  Germanic  Languages  and  Lit- 
eratures, Columbia  University; 

Head  Master  James  G.  Croswell,  Brearley  School,  New  York. 

In  order  that  the  details  may  be  arranged  with  convenient  despatch,  it  is 
earnestly  requested  that  American  institutions  and  American  teachers  who  de- 
sire to  cooperate  in  this  exchange  make  known  their  wishes  to  the  President 
of  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the  Advancement  of  Teaching  at  the  earliest 
possible  date. 

HENBT  S.  PEITCHETT. 
March,  1908. 


[3] 


209417 


A  PLA1*  FOR  AN   EXCHANGE   OF  TEACHERS   BETWEEN 
PRUSSIA   AND    THE    UNITED    STATES 

On  behalf  of  the  Department  of  Ecclesiastical  Affairs,  Instruction,  and 
Medical  Affairs  of  Prussia,  Geheimer  Ober-Regierungsrat,  Dr.  Karl  Reinhardt, 
addressed  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the  Advancement  of  Teaching  in  the 
summer  of  1907  and  laid  before  it  a  plan  for  an  exchange  of  teachers  between 
Prussia  and  the  United  States.  An  exchange  similar  to  the  one  proposed 
is  now  in  effect  between  Prussia  on  the  one  side,  and  France  and  England  on 
the  other;  and  in  view  of  the  usefulness  of  this  work,  not  only  in  the  school 
systems  pf  the  respective  countries,  but  also  in  furthering  the  better  feeling 
and  understanding  of  the  countries,  Dr.  Reinhardt  urged  the  extension  of  the 
plan  to  America.  He  requested  that  the  Foundation  act  in  an  official  capacity 
with  the  royal  government  of  Prussia  and  that  it  arrange  all  details  of  the 
exchange  for  this  side  of  the  ocean. 

Upon  receipt  of  the  communication  from  the  Prussian  Minister,  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Carnegie  Foundation  brought  the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the 
Trustees,  and  at  the  meeting  of  the  Trustees  in  November,  1907,  it  was  voted 
that  the  President  of  the  Foundation  should  undertake  the  supervision,  on  the 
American  side,  of  the  exchange  with  Prussia.  This  Bulletin  is  prepared,  there- 
fore, in  order,  first,  to  suggest  the  general  nature  and  value  of  the  system,  and, 
second,  to  give  the  details  by  which  it  is  to  be  put  into  operation.  It  is  ad- 
dressed especially  to  presidents  of  colleges,  universities,  and  normal  schools, 
to  superintendents  of  schools  and  members  of  school  boards,  and  to  teachers 
who  may  wish  to  consider  spending  a  year  or  a  half  year  in  Prussia  under 
the  conditions  offered  by  the  Prussian  government. 

GENERAL  NATURE  OF  THE  SYSTEM 

The  plan  for  this  exchange  of  teachers  is  to  effect  a  permanent  arrange- 
ment by  which  teachers  of  the  United  States  shall  be  assigned  for  a  year  or  half 
year  to  schools  in  Prussia  and  vice  versa.  The  instruction  to  be  given  in 
Prussia  will  be  the  teaching  of  English  in  a  conversational  way.  It  is  not, 
however,  necessary  that  the  teacher  should  be  a  teacher  of  language  in  this 
country,  but  that  he  should  be  a  cultured  man  able  to  conduct  such  exercises 
in  an  interesting  manner. 

The  significance  of  the  interchange  of  teachers  between  countries  in  Europe 
has  greatly  increased  during  the  last  two  years.  The  immediate  end  gained 
by  the  exchange  of  teachers  of  language  is  the  vitalizing  of  the  instruc- 
tion in  foreign  languages  and  the  correction  of  defects  in  the  system  of  in- 
struction in  one  country  or  the  other.  But  the  indirect  products  of  the  exchange 


are  far  more  important.  A  teacher  transplanted  for  a  year  to  a  school  in  a 
foreign  country  has  the  opportunity  to  improve  his  whole  view  of  educational 
methods.  He  returns  to  his  regular  work  with  increased  efficiency  and  with 
freshened  ability  to  teach. 

By  such  an  exchange  students  at  an  impressionable  age  learn  of  the  social 
customs  and  gain  the  point  of  view  of  the  people  of  the  other  country,  and 
this  under  an  arrangement  which  is  stimulating  and  interesting  in  comparison 
with  formal  language  study. 

The  exchange  is  therefore  one  that  ministers  not  only  to  the  improvement 
of  the  teaching  of  modern  languages,  but  to  general  educational  efficiency,  to 
a  broader  understanding  of  other  countries  and  a  betterment  of  international 
relations. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  young,  ambitious  American  teacher,  the 
opportunity  to  spend  a  year  in  Prussia  is  attractive  and  should  be  con- 
sidered in  about  the  same  way  as  a  fellowship  in  a  good  American  univer- 
sity. In  either  case  the  remuneration  is  slight.  The  American  teacher  who 
goes  to  Prussia  for  a  year  will  receive  from  the  Prussian  government  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  ten  marks  a  month  ($25  to  $27.50).  It  is 
estimated  that  this  is  equivalent  to  about  $40  to  $45  a  month  in  a  small  town 
in  the  United  States,  and  that  it  will  meet  the  actual  living  expenses  of  the 
teacher  during  the  year. 

The  remuneration  is  a  secondary  consideration.  Teachers,  especially  those 
who  are  now  serving  their  apprenticeships  as  scholars  or  fellows  in  colleges 
and  universities,  preparing  themselves  for  the  profession  of  teaching,  will 
recognize  the  benefit  which  a  year  of  study  and  conversational  teaching  in 
Prussia  would  bring  them.  The  opportunity  is  virtually  that  of  a  travelling 
fellowship.  The  teachers  have  the  right  to  attend  instruction  in  all  classes 
of  the  institution  so  far  as  it  is  beneficial  to  their  work.  Many  teachers  in 
the  United  States  who  consider  the  plan  may  not  welcome  the  idea  that  they 
are  to  remain  at  one  particular  institution  during  their  official  connection  with 
the  school  system  in  Prussia;  and  that,  further,  they  are  under  the  direct 
guidance  of  the  director  of  the  institution  to  which  they  are  assigned.  These 
restrictions,  however,  have  their  advantages.  The  privilege  of  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  the  school  system  of  Germany  in  all  its  working  details  and 
the  fact  that  this  privilege  is  accorded  the  visiting  teachers  under  most  digni- 
fied and  agreeable  circumstances  are  worthy  of  emphasis.  The  director  of  an 
institution  to  which  a  teacher  is  assigned  will,  with  his  colleagues,  take  a  per- 
sonal interest  in  introducing  the  teacher  into  the  social  life  of  the  community. 
Good  fellowship  is  extended  to  him,  and  with  this  the  opportunity  to  gain 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  German  ideals  in  teaching  and  to  observe  German 
methods  in  practice.  In  the  United  States  such  an  opportunity  is  usually 
accorded  a  visitor  who  gives  evidence  of  sincerity  in  his  desire  for  the  privilege, 
but  in  Prussia  the  privilege  is  rarely  granted  to  any  one  except  through  formal 
application  to  the  Royal  Minister  of  Instruction. 

In  no  case  are  teachers  to  take  part  in  the  formal  instruction  of  the  insti- 
tution which  they  visit.  They  do  not  do  the  work,  or  even  part  of  the  work, 

[5] 


of  a  regular  teacher.  This  would  impose  too  heavy  a  burden  upon  the  visitors 
and  would  render  their  relationship  with  the  students  too  didactic.  The  plan 
is  for  the  visiting  teacher  to  teach  conversation  in  his  own  language  in  an 
informal  manner  for  not  more  than  two  hours  each  day,  his  classes  being 
small  groups  of  upper  classmen  who  wish  to  perfect  themselves  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  teacher.  The  students  and  the  teacher  discuss  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  teacher's  home,  the  school  arrangements,  the  family  life,  the 
conditions  of  public  life,  the  social  usages,  etc.  Work  of  this  nature  will  not 
interfere  with  the  teacher's  leisure  for  study  and  observation,  and  for  short 
trips  to  communities  other  than  his  own. 

DETAILS  OF  THE  SYSTEM 

All  matters  of  business  connected  with  the  exchange  of  teachers  are  trans- 
acted either  through  the  Prussian  Minister,  whose  address  is  Berlin  W,  64, 
Wilhelmstrasse  68,  or  through  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the  Advancement 
of  Teachmg,  576  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City.  All  communications  from 
those  interested  in  the  matter  in  the  United  States  should  be  addressed  to  the 
President  of  the  Carnegie  Foundation  for  the  Advancement  of  Teaching. 

All  applications  from  institutions  for  teachers  from  Prussia  and  for 
appointments  of  individuals  to  go  to  Prussia  should  be  filed  at  the  office  of 
the  Foundation  not  later  than  June  15,  to  go  into  effect  in  October.  In  making 
application  a  teacher  should  give  his  full  name,  address,  date  and  place  of 
birth,  citizenship,  religious  faith,  academic  preparation  for  teaching  and  in- 
formation concerning  his  fitness  for  the  work,  and  preference  in  regard  to 
situation  in  Prussia.  Formal  application  blanks  for  this  purpose  may  be  had 
upon  request  from  the  offices  of  the  Foundation. 

The  candidate  for  appointment  to  a  position  in  Prussia  should  be  a  grad- 
uate of  a  college  which  requires  for  admission  the  usual  four-year  high  school 
course.  He  must  have  been  for  at  least  one  year  a  teacher,  though  not  neces- 
sarily a  teacher  of  languages,  and  must  have  reasonable  facility  in  the  German 
language.  The  teacher  who  goes  to  Prussia  will  enter  a  gymnasium  or  a  real- 
gymnasium.  His  work  will  be  the  informal  teaching  of  the  English  language 
by  means  of  conversation.  As  stated  in  the  general  discussion,  the  remunera- 
tion is  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  ten  marks  a  month  paid  by  the  Prussian 
government  in  monthly  installments. 

A  teacher  coming  to  the  United  States  from  Prussia  may  enter  a  college 
or  a  high  school  of  good  standing.  His  work,  similar  to  that  of  the  American 
teacher  assigned  to  a  post  in  Prussia,  will  be  the  teaching  of  the  German 
language  by  means  of  conversation.  The  Prussian  teacher  for  appointment 
in  the  United  States  must  be  a  graduate  of  a  German  university  and  must 
have  served  for  at  least  a  year  as  a  probationary  teacher  under  the  director 
of  a  gymnasium. 

Any  educational  institution  or  city  school  board  which  makes  application 
for  a  Prussian  teacher  must  agree  to  pay  the  visiting  teacher  a  sufficient  sum 
to  meet  modest  living  expenses  such  as  board,  room,  laundry,  etc.  In  no  case 

[6] 


should  this  amount  be  less  than  the  monthly  allowance  which  the  Prussian 
government  pays  to  an  American  teacher  in  Prussia.  An  amount  of  approx- 
imately fifty  dollars  a  month  for  a  period  of  eight  months  will  usually  meet 
the  requirement.  The  amount  will  vary  according  to  location. 

Many  colleges,  universities  and  normal  schools  which  have  departments 
of  German  will  probably  be  glad  not  only  to  select  a  representative  to  go  to 
Prussia,  but  also  to  receive  in  return  a  Prussian  teacher  who  would  doubtless 
stimulate  a  new  interest  in  the  work  of  the  department.  It  is  not  necessary, 
however,  that  an  institution  which  receives  a  Prussian  teacher  should  also 
nominate  a  teacher  to  go  to  Prussia;  nor  that  if  an  institution  sends  a  teacher 
to  Prussia,  it  receive  a  foreign  teacher  in  return. 

The  Prussian  government  pays  all  the  necessary  travelling  expenses  of 
the  teachers  selected  to  come  to  America.  While  many  of  the  American  teachers 
will  probably  be  willing  to  pay  their  own  travelling  expenses  to  Prussia,  it  is 
hoped  that  institutions  which  nominate  the  individual  teacher  will  also  pay 
the  transportation  to  Prussia,  thus  making  the  appointment  one  of  distinc- 
tion and  honor  as  well  as  an  educational  opportunity. 

All  appointments  are  made  either  for  one  academic  year  or  for  one-half 
of  the  academic  year.  The  year  begins  at  Easter  and  is  divided  into  two 
terms,  the  second  term  beginning  about  October  1.  There  are  generally  two 
weeks  vacation  at  Easter,  two  weeks  at  Christmas,  one  week  at  Whitsuntide, 
and  about  four  weeks  in  July  or  August  according  to  the  arrangement  of 
the  Ministry. 

In  accepting  an  appointment  from  either  country,  teachers  pledge  them- 
selves not  to  publish  anything  concerning  the  institutions  with  which  they 
are  connected  except  with  the  permission  of  the  proper  authorities.  This 
restriction  is  a  nominal  one.  It  is  understood  that  there  will  be  no  objection 
to  any  serious  and  well-informed  publication  on  the  part  of  the  visiting  teacher. 

At  the  present  time,  women  are  not  eligible  to  appointments  as  exchange 
teachers  with  Prussia. 

American  teachers  who  take  these  appointments  are  expected  to  render  a 
report  at  the  end  of  their  service  to  the  President  of  the  Carnegie  Foundation 
concerning  such  matters  as  seem  to  them  important  or  to  have  educational 
value. 

The  Carnegie  Foundation  assumes  no  financial  responsibility  in  acting  as 
an  agent  in  this  exchange  of  teachers. 


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